The present invention relates to a battery charger, which can be adapted to charge batteries and battery packs of different sizes and types.
Lithium-ion batteries and battery packs are generally cuboid in shape, and are made in a variety of sizes and types. Their electrical terminals can be located at different locations depending on their type. This often requires a dedicated charger to charge each different type of battery or battery pack.
It is known in the art for battery chargers to be adjustable to charge batteries of different sizes. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,185 describes a battery charger in which the battery is held firmly in place on a mounting seat. The battery pack is held in position using sucking discs, a buckle belt, a vertically moveable retaining block or a magnet. When the battery is secured by one of these means, the contacts slide to contact the terminals of the battery, in order to recharge the battery.
The described battery charger has the disadvantage that it can only receive batteries or battery packs lying flat, that is with their largest surface lying on the mounting seat. This makes it difficult to adapt the battery charger to receive batteries which have their terminals on their largest surface, since the terminals will be facing downwardly onto the seat.